Etymology

Burke is an old English term meaning "to murder by suffocation...for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for dissection". It can also be a variant of the British slang term berk, meaning "idiot".[3] Burke is also a real surname common in Britain and Ireland. It comes from the Norman de Burgo which was Anglicised in Irish as de Búrca.

In the real world, Edmund Burke, generally known only by his surname, was an Anglo-Irish political philosopher who argued in favour of traditional monarchism. Thus perhaps the Burke family having many members as pure blood supremacists is meant as an allusion to this historical figure.

Notes and references

↑Given that Herbert Burke married Belvina Black and that she was not disowned or removed from the Black tapestry for the marriage, it can be assumed that Herbert was pure-blood.